Gosani: A female student of a private educational institution near R. Sitapur in Gajapati district has allegedly fallen victim to exploitation and blackmail by her classmates, police said.
According to a complaint lodged at Gurandi police station, the incident dates back around six months.
One of the accused, a fellow student, allegedly lured the victim into a romantic relationship and, later, along with two associates, misbehaved with her and captured obscene photographs and videos.
Police said the accused later used the explicit material to blackmail the student, prompting her to approach authorities.
A case (40/26) has been registered in this regard at Gurandi police station.
While the main accused remains absconding, police have arrested two of his associates, identified as Chinmaya Kumar Pradhan and Ayush Kumar Singh, from Rayagada district.
The victim, a native of West Bengal, had been staying at her uncle’s residence in Gajapati district while pursuing her studies.
Investigations revealed that the three accused allegedly lured the student to a shop near the institution under some pretext, where they reportedly mixed an intoxicating substance with a cold drink and made her consume it.
They then took her to another location, where the main accused allegedly assaulted her while the other two recorded videos of her in a compromised state.
The videos were subsequently used to blackmail the victim, police said.
Gurandi police station OIC Basant Sethi confirmed the arrests, adding that two mobile phones have been seized from the accused.
Efforts are underway to trace the absconding main accused. Further investigation is ongoing, he said.